News (Page 400)

A New Mass Extinction has been Discovered, Wiping Out Life 233 Million Years Ago, and Leading to the Rise of the Dinosaurs Most everybody knows that the dinosaurs perished rapidly in a tumultuous extinction, caused by an asteroid strike about 66 million years ago. But it looks like another extinction prior to the appearance of the dinosaurs paved the way for their long reign. That extinction took place about 233 million years ago. And scientists have only … Continue reading “A New Mass Extinction has been Discovered, Wiping Out Life 233 Million Years Ago, and Leading to the Rise of the Dinosaurs” The post ARead More →

Here’s Jupiter from Juno’s Latest Flyby Jupiter. Most massive planet in the solar system – twice that of all the other planets combined. This giant world formed from the same cloud of dust and gas that became our Sun and the rest of the planets. But Jupiter was the first-born of our planetary family. As the first planet, Jupiter’s massive gravitational … Continue reading “Here’s Jupiter from Juno’s Latest Flyby” The post Here’s Jupiter from Juno’s Latest Flyby appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Perseverance Will be Scanning Inside Rocks for Fossils on Mars When it arrives on Mars next year, Perseverance will use a next-generation X-ray scanner assisted by AI to search for the fossil remains of ancient life! The post Perseverance Will be Scanning Inside Rocks for Fossils on Mars appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Weekly Space Hangout: September 23, 2020, Col. Terry Virts (USAF ret.) Tells Us “How to Astronaut” Terry Virts, one of only four astronauts in history to have piloted a Space Shuttle, flown a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, performed space walks, and commanded the ISS. He’s written HOW TO ASTRONAUT: An Insider’s Guide to Leaving Planet Earth, the book for everyone who wants to know what space travel is really like. Fun fact: … Continue reading “Weekly Space Hangout: September 23, 2020, Col. Terry Virts (USAF ret.) Tells Us “How to Astronaut”” The post Weekly Space Hangout: September 23, 2020, Col. Terry Virts (USAF ret.) Tells UsRead More →

Even Comets Can Have Auroras. Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Does The ESA’s Rosetta mission to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko ended four years ago. On September 30th 2016 the spacecraft was directed into a controlled impact with the comet, putting an end to its 12.5 year mission. Scientists are still working with all its data and making new discoveries. A new study based on Rosetta data shows that … Continue reading “Even Comets Can Have Auroras. Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Does” The post Even Comets Can Have Auroras. Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Does appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Solar Cycle 25 has arrived. Here’s what to expect from the Sun in the coming months and years The sun goes through a regular 11-year cycle, swinging between periods of dormancy and periods of activity. Scientists from NASA and NOAA have just announced that the sun has just passed its minimum, and will be ramping up in activity over the next few years, meaning that we have entered a new round of the … Continue reading “Solar Cycle 25 has arrived. Here’s what to expect from the Sun in the coming months and years” The post Solar Cycle 25 has arrived. Here’s what to expectRead More →

What’s the Best Way to Communicate With an Interstellar Probe When it’s Light-Years Away From Earth? A new study by an international team of scientists addressed a major challenge with interstellar missions: how to send and receive information The post What’s the Best Way to Communicate With an Interstellar Probe When it’s Light-Years Away From Earth? appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

There Could Be Carbon-Rich Exoplanets Made Of Diamonds Scientists are getting better at understanding exoplanets. We now know that they’re plentiful, and that they can even orbit dead white dwarf stars. Researchers are also getting better at understanding how they form, and what they’re made of. A new study says that some carbon-rich exoplanets could be made of silica, and even diamonds, under … Continue reading “There Could Be Carbon-Rich Exoplanets Made Of Diamonds” The post There Could Be Carbon-Rich Exoplanets Made Of Diamonds appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Chinese Asteroid Mining Robot Due to Launch in November Does it seem like science is catching up with science fiction? Sometimes it does. Especially when there’s an announcement like this one. A Chinese company says that they’ll be launching an asteroid-mining robot by November. Origin Space is a private company based in Beijing. Though they’re calling this an “asteroid mining robot,” it’s really a … Continue reading “Chinese Asteroid Mining Robot Due to Launch in November” The post Chinese Asteroid Mining Robot Due to Launch in November appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Chitin Could be the Perfect Building Material on Mars It’s hard to deny that we’re heading for a future with a human presence on Mars. But to develop sustained presence, there are an enormous number of technical problems to be worked out. One of those problems concerns manufacturing and building. We can’t send everything people will need to Mars. We’ll need some way to … Continue reading “Chitin Could be the Perfect Building Material on Mars” The post Chitin Could be the Perfect Building Material on Mars appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Asteroid Bennu has little pieces of Vesta on it The asteroid belt is a chaotic place.  Things smash into each other, get thrown into completely different orbital planes, and are occasionally visited by small electronic spacecraft launched by humans.  All three things seem to have happened to the asteroid Bennu, which is currently being orbited by OSIRIS-REx, a mission launched by NASA in 2016. … Continue reading “Asteroid Bennu has little pieces of Vesta on it” The post Asteroid Bennu has little pieces of Vesta on it appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Our Complete Guide to Mars Opposition Season 2020 Grab your telescope: when it comes to astronomy, 2020 saved the best for last, with a fine opposition of the planet Mars coming right up next month on October 13th. The post Our Complete Guide to Mars Opposition Season 2020 appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

NASA’s Janus Mission is Going to Visit Two Binary Asteroids Gravity is good for a lot of things. It brings objects closer together. Occasionally they crash into each other.  But sometimes two objects get locked in a unique gravitational dance that pairs them together. That dance can be short-lived, or it can last for billions of years. In some cases the objects are large (i.e. … Continue reading “NASA’s Janus Mission is Going to Visit Two Binary Asteroids” The post NASA’s Janus Mission is Going to Visit Two Binary Asteroids appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

The Surface of Mars Might Have Gotten an Acid Bath, Obscuring Evidence of Past Life According to a recent study, the presence of acidic and alkali fluids on the surface of Mars mean that its soil is not likely to hold onto evidence of past life. The post The Surface of Mars Might Have Gotten an Acid Bath, Obscuring Evidence of Past Life appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →